'Charlottesville: Race and Terror' tied for most nominations at the News and Documentary Emmy Awards

I mentioned that I would write about last August's Weimar moment in Charlottesville in Putin and Trump-Russia at the Emmy Awards last month.  I then forgot about it until I reposted the entry at Booman Tribune and noticed that I had written "'The Wounds of War' and 'Cries from Syria' are probably the toughest competition, as both have four nominations each, tied for the most nominations for any single entry with 'Charlottesville: Race and Terror' by Vice News Tonight" and "I'll be looking more at this category when I examine the nominees about Syria and Charlottesville."  It's time to follow through with an examination of "Charlottesville: Race and Terror" by Vice News Tonight, which is nominated for Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a Newscast, Best Story in a Newscast, Outstanding Video Journalism: News, and Outstanding Editing: News.

Competing against "Charlottesville: Race and Terror" for Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a Newscast are "BBC World
News: Fierce Fight for Mosul," "CBS News: Las Vegas Massacre," "Live Coverage of Hurricane Harvey" by The Weather Channel, and "NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt: Las Vegas Massacre."  Mass shootings, hurricanes, and Syria dominated the news last year, so it's no surprise they dominate the nominations and I plan on writing about all the nominees about them.  However, this is the only category in which any of the four competing entries earned a nomination, so I think Vice News Tonight did a better job of producing "Charlottesville: Race and Terror."

On the other hand, the nominees for Best Story in a Newscast all have nominations in another category.  "Anderson Cooper 360°: Kids for Sale," "CBS This Morning: U.S. Air Force Academy Sexual Assault," and "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer: Libya Slave Auction" are nominated for Outstanding Investigative Report in a Newscast, while "World News Tonight with David Muir and Nightline: The Unwanted" has a nomination for Outstanding Hard News Feature Story in a Newscast.  Still, none of them also have nominations outside of these two categories other than "Charlottesville: Race and Terror," so I suspect it has the inside track.

"Charlottesville: Race and Terror" finally runs into one of the other entries with four nominations in the field for Outstanding Video Journalism: News, where it is competing against "60 Minutes: The Wounds of War," which is about the Syrian Civil War.  That makes for an intriguing match-up.  The other nominees in this category include "BBC World News America: Fight For Raqqa – Darren Conway," CNN's "Global Warning: Arctic Melt," and "Vox Borders," none of which have other nominations.  Yeah, I think this contest is between Charlottesville and Syria.

The competition for Outstanding Editing: News appears just as stiff, as Al Jazeera International USA's "Fault Lines: Heroin's Children" has two other nominations for Outstanding Science, Medical and Environmental Report and Best Story in a Newsmagazine.  The other nominees, "50 Years of 60 Minutes" and fellow "VICE News Tonight" reports "Battle for Marawi: On the Hunt for ISIS Militants" and "Libya: Intercepting Migrants," only have nominations in this category.  My take is that the contest for this award is between Charlottesville and opiates/opioids.

The entire episode is on YouTube: Charlottesville: Race and Terror – VICE News Tonight on HBO.

On Saturday hundreds of white nationalists, alt-righters, and neo-Nazis traveled to Charlottesville, Virginia to participate in the “Unite the Right” rally. By Saturday evening three people were dead – one protester, and two police officers – and many more injured.

“VICE News Tonight” correspondent Elle Reeve went behind the scenes with white nationalist leaders, including Christopher Cantwell, Robert Ray, David Duke, and Matthew Heimbach — as well as counter-protesters. VICE News Tonight also spoke with residents of Charlottesville, members of the Black Lives Matter movement, and the Charlottesville Police.

From the neo-Nazi protests at Emancipation Park to Cantwell’s hideaway outside of Virginia, “VICE News Tonight” provides viewers with exclusive, up close and personal access inside the unrest.

That's a scary look at what a Weimar moment looks like in 21st Century America.

CNN also has a nominee examining Charlottesville.  "The Morning After Charlottesville" from "State of the Union with Jake Tapper" on CNN is contending for Outstanding News Discussion & Analysis.  Competing against it are "Special Counsel Appointed to Oversee Trump-Russia Investigation" from "The Rachel Maddow Show" on MSNBC, "All In America: Chicago" from "All In with Chris Hayes" on MSNBC, "NFL Town Hall: Patriotism, The Players and The President" from "Anderson Cooper 360^o" on CNN, and "High Alert: North Korea" from "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" on ABC.  Here is one of the segments from the show CNN has uploaded to YouTube: Charlottesville mayor's full CNN interview.

Charlottesville, Virginia, Mayor Mike Signer discusses with CNN's Jake Tapper his city's reaction to the violent clashes between white nationalists and counterprotesters.

Good for you, Mayor Signer.

I'll return tomorrow with more about the nominees for the News and Documentary Emmy Awards.  Stay tuned.

'Chasing Coral' versus 'Yosemite' — two nominees for Outstanding Nature Documentary both examine climate change

I made an easy prediction in 'Chasing Coral': awards and nominations and looking forward to next year's Emmys 4 last December.

I expect I'll be able to tell my students about "Chasing Coral" earning an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Nature Documentary next summer and its likely win in the fall.  I'm looking forward to that.

That happened, as "Chasing Coral" earned a nomination for Outstanding Nature Documentary at the News and Documentary Emmy Awards along with nominations in two other categories, Best Documentary and Outstanding Music & Sound.  It is competing with "Putin's Revenge" on Frontline, "The Witness" from Independent Lens, "Life, Animated," an Oscar nominee for Documentary Feature in 2017, and "My Love, Don't Cross That River" from POV for Best Documentary.  Out of that field, I'm rooting for "Chasing Coral," but "Life, Animated" is very tough competition.

That written, both "Chasing Coral" and "Last Men in Aleppo" have already won a prestigious award for documentaries, the Peabody Award.  Here is the award profile for "Chasing Coral."

Climate change is often described as a slow-moving catastrophe, a serious yet distant threat. “Chasing Coral,” a Netflix documentary, upends that comfortable premise. As waters warm, coral reefs starve, with massive bleaching events occurring at record pace unseen beneath the waves. Approximately 90 percent of coral reefs may be lost over the coming decades. “Chasing Coral” dramatically illuminates this ongoing disaster, first immersing the audience in the gorgeous and diverse marine world that is the Great Barrier Reef, and then documenting—using underwater time-lapse cameras invented specifically for the project—how vast swaths of it die. The emotional impact is heightened by watching a team of passionate scientists and idealistic young assistants witness the bleaching event, which suggests nothing less than a kind of underwater holocaust. Somehow, in spite of the scope of the tragedy, the documentary nevertheless remains hopeful, calling for engagement and urging action. For bringing climate change and its deadly consequences into sharp and immediate focus, “Chasing Coral” wins a Peabody Award.

And now, director Jeff Orlowski's acceptance speech.

This surprisingly emotional film expertly documents, through time-lapse underwater photographs, the effects of climate change on the rapid decimation of the world’s coral reefs, events known as coral bleaching that affected 29 percent of the shallow-water coral in the Great Barrier Reef in 2016 alone.

"A story that matters because the Earth matters" — indeed, it is.

Follow over the jump for the other nominees competing against "Chasing Coral" in the other two categories.

'Abacus,' 'Edith and Eddie,' 'Heroin(e),' and 'Last Men in Aleppo' — Oscar nominees at the 2018 News and Documentary Emmy Awards

Last March, I predicted that "both 'Jane' and 'Abacus' will be eligible for News and Documentary Emmy Awards this fall, where they will be favored in their categories."  I was right about "Jane," which earned seven nominations two awards at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.  Now it's time to observe that I was right about "Abacus" earning a nomination for Outstanding Business and Economic Documentary at the News and Documentary Emmy Awards.  Joining it are three other Oscar nominees for Best Documentary Feature or Best Documentary Short Subject, "Edith and Eddie," "Heroin(e)," and "Last Men in Aleppo," all of which I have written about before.  Along with "Icarus" and "Strong Island," that means that four of the five nominees for Best Documentary Feature and two of the five nominees for Best Documentary Short Subject have also been nominated for an Emmy.  Both the films and their fellow nominees should be impressed.

I begin my review of the nominees with what I wrote about "Abacus" late last year.

"Abacus: Small Enough to Jail," has won four awards from the shows and programs I am using, including Best Political Documentary from the Critics' Choice Documentary Awards.  The Guardian review explains why it belongs here.

Veteran documentary-maker Steve James (Hoop Dreams) is back with an engrossing story: the extraordinary fiasco of the Abacus bank prosecution. It is a tale of hypocrisy, judicial bullying and racism. Abacus was a small neighbourhood bank serving New York’s Chinese community, which discovered a crooked employee falsifying mortgage documents, duly reported the matter to the authorities, but then found itself prosecuted by a district attorney who had sniffed a post-2008 PR opportunity to collar some real live bankers.

"Model minority" or not, Asian-Americans experience systemic racism, too.

Watch Abacus: Small Enough to Jail - Trailer for a preview.

From acclaimed director Steve James (Hoop Dreams, The Interrupters, Life Itself), Academy Award® Nominee Abacus: Small Enough to Jail tells the incredible saga of the Chinese immigrant Sung family, owners of Abacus Federal Savings of Chinatown, New York. Accused of mortgage fraud by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., Abacus becomes the only U.S. bank to face criminal charges in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. The indictment and subsequent trial forces the Sung family to defend themselves – and their bank's legacy in the Chinatown community – over the course of a five-year legal battle.

Competing against "Abacus" for Outstanding Business and Economic Documentary are "Farewell Ferris Wheel" and "Vegas Baby" from "America Reframed" on World, "The Bad Kids" from "Independent Lens" on PBS and "Saving Capitalism" on Netflix.  Of all of them, I think "Saving Capitalism" is the strongest competition for "Abacus," as it won Best Political Documentary at the Coffee Party Entertainment Awards for movies.  Looks like my fellow directors and volunteers at Coffee Party USA were on to something when they voted for Robert Reich's film, giving it its first nomination and award.

Follow over the jump for the rest of the double nominees.

'The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story' is the big winner among limited series at the Emmy Awards

I told my readers to "stay tuned" as I would "return with more Emmy blogging after Talk like a Pirate Day" at the end of 'Black Mirror' USS Callister wins Outstanding Television Movie plus three other Emmy Awards.  Talk Like a Pirate Day has passed, followed by an unplanned break for my birthday, so this week's Sunday entertainment feature comes at the perfect time to deliver on my promise by revisiting the predictions I made in Crime and punishment a major theme of Limited Series nominees at the Emmy Awards for National Wildlife Day, where I identified the common thread among nearly all the nominees and its significance when I wrote "stories of crime and punishment usually involve law enforcement and the courts, they tell their own tales about the roles and actions of government."

I begin with the big winner, "The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story."

I consider this season of "American Crime Story" to be the favorite to win Outstanding Limited Series, as it has the most nominations, won Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials at the TCA Awards last month, and its predecessor, "The People v. O. J. Simpson," won this award two years ago.  I also think that Darren Criss has the best chance of winning of all six acting nominees, having been nominated at both the TCA Awards and the MTV Movie and TV Awards, a rare confluence of critical and popular opinion.

"The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story" won seven of the thirteen awards it could have, Outstanding Limited Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for Darren Criss, Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special, Outstanding Casting for a Limited Series, Movie or Special, Outstanding Contemporary Costumes, Outstanding Hairstyling for a Limited Series or Movie, and Outstanding Makeup for a Limited Series or Movie (Non-Prosthetic).  Watch as The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story Wins Outstanding Limited Series on NBC.

Ryan Murphy from The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story accepts the award for Outstanding Limited Series.

Murphy's point about prejudice and hate crimes puts this mini-series into the kind of broader perspective that makes it a worthy examination of American society and history beyond merely an entertaining true story about crime and punishment.

While I called "The Assassination Of Gianni Versace" as the winner of Outstanding Limited Series, I did not actually call Darren Criss winning Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie.  True, I did wrote that "Darren Criss [had] the best chance of winning of all six acting nominees," but I actually called for Jeff Daniels instead.  That was not my first instinct, which was Criss, and I should have stuck with it.  On that note, watch as Darren Criss Wins Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie at the 70th Emmy Awards on NBC.

Darren Criss from The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story accepts the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie.

I went with Daniels because he grew up here.  If I had known that Criss had gone to the University of Michigan, I would definitely have picked him.  Go Blue!


"Godless" has the distinction of earning the next most Emmy Awards with three.  Here are my predictions.

The strongest nominees are probably Jeff Daniels, who earned acting nominations at the Critics' Choice Awards and SAG Awards, and Scott Frank, who earned a writing nomination from the WGA and a directing nomination from the DGA.  My favorite though, is the main title theme.

"Godless" won Outstanding Main Title Theme Music.  I'm glad, as it was my favorite new theme music this year, too.  As to whether I actually called it, I don't care.  It was the one I was rooting for.  One can catch the tail end of it as Jeff Daniels Wins Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie at the 70th Emmy Awards.

Jeff Daniels from Godless accepts the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie.

I did call Daniels winning this award, as I did say he was among the strongest nominees from the mini-series and wrote that it would be between him and Michael Stuhlbarg.  He certainly gave a funny acceptance speech and I'm pleased that he won, but not nearly as pleased as wishing more than calling the next catgory.

I'll go out on a limb and pick Wever, who I enjoyed when she was on "The Walking Dead" and I wish was still there, as she lasted much longer in the comic.  When her character died, I thought, "No!  You idiots just killed off the only character in the show whose performer in the cast who has won an Emmy!"  Winning for "Godless" would make up for that.

I don't know about Wever, but it did for me.  Watch Merritt Wever Wins Outstanding Supporting Actress, Limited Series or Movie at the 70th Emmy Awards.

Merritt Wever from Godless accepts the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.

While I thought she deserved it, I'm not sure she did.  That's O.K., your fans love you.


While the Emmy voters rewarded my hopes for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie, they completely surprised me in the next category.

The nominees in this category [Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie] have the least overlap with those in Outstanding Limited Series, as only "Godless" appears in both, while "The Tale" is a Television Movie nominee.  These are the only nominations for "The Sinner," "Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders," and "Seven Seconds"...I find this another difficult category to pick, as Laura Dern, Edie Falco, and Sarah Paulson are all previous Emmy winners, Michelle Dockery and Regina King have multiple Emmy nominations, and Jessica Biel gave a riveting performance in the first season of "The Sinner."  While Paulson is the only prior winner in this category, Dern won an Emmy last year and probably gave the most compelling performance, so I'll choose her as the favorite.

I completely blew it.  Instead, watch Regina King Win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie at the 70th Emmy Awards.

Regina King from Seven Seconds accepts the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.

While she seems as surprised as I was — she probably expected Dern to win, too — I've seen her work over the years, especially in "The Leftovers," and thought she deserved her award.  He win also highlighted a related theme to that of "The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story," the effect of prejudice and tolerance for expressions of it in our society.

That written, congratulations to you and all the acting winners for limited series!  Follow over the jump for the limited series that won Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Rhinos and gorillas but no elephants at the Detroit Zoo for the Autumnal Equinox

Happy Autumnal Equinox!   Last year, I wrote about national days celebrating elephants, hobbits, and being car free on the equinox, but it turns out that was not even the half of it for this day.  National Day Calendar lists 15 national days for September 22, 2018, quite a few of which are on-topic for this blog.  However, I'm going to begin with one not on their list.


My wife pointed out last month that today is World Rhino Day.

World Rhino Day is celebrated on September 22 every year! This special day provides the opportunity for cause-related organizations, NGOs, zoos, and members of the public to celebrate rhinos in their own unique ways.

We plan on celebrating by going to the Detroit Zoo, which is observing the day, too.

Southern white rhinoceroses Jasiri, 18, and Tamba, 17, will be celebrated – along with their wild counterparts – during World Rhino Day on Saturday, September 22, at the Detroit Zoo. Matt Yurus reports.

Yesterday was my birthday, so this also serves as a birthday party for me.  I've already paid for a joint membership for my wife and me, something I promised I would do four years ago and again three years ago.  Took me long enough.

The Detroit Zoo no longer has elephants, but I can still observe National Elephant Appreciation Day in their absence, as elephants are one of the few animals that longer in the wild than in captivity.  They are better off in either in captivity or in a zoo that can take better care of them.  Also, Monday is World Gorilla Day and the Detroit Zoo has gorillas close by the rhinos.  My wife and I will celebrate that day early today as well.

Normally, I'd write about National Hunting and Fishing Day and National Public Lands Day in addition to recycling Car Free Day and Hobbit Day, but I have a date to go on, which means I definitely will skip Car Free Day.  Buses stop at the Detroit Zoo, but they don't pass by my house, so my wife and I will drive.  Next year.  In the meantime, I wish my readers a happy Autumnal Equinox if they are in the Northern Hemisphere and a happy Vernal Equinox in the Southern Hemisphere and hope those of you who can go to your local zoo do so to see the rhinos, gorillas, and elephants.

Vox explains how social media contributes to polarization and promotes trolls, conspiracy theorists, and fake news

In June, Vox explained how Russian trolls weaponized social media.  In July, Vox explained how not to get phished (like the DNC).  Today, Vox followed up on both by explaining Why every social media site is a dumpster fire.

Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube exploit our tribalism to keep us watching ads. That makes them a perfect target for trolls, conspiracy theorists, and con artists.
...
Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram are built to cater to the base preferences and desires of their users -- figuring out what information people enjoy with and then showing them more of it. That’s a great way to keep people online, but it also makes these platforms prime target for con artists. People are naturally drawn to inflammatory and sensational news stories, regardless of whether or not they're true. So bad actors -- conspiracy theorists, trolls, and fake news writers -- have been tremendously successful in using these platforms to spread false and divisive content that exploit people’s tribal instincts.

In 2016, it was Macedonian teens making thousands of dollars publishing inflammatory fake stories about Hillary Clinton. After the Parkland shooting, it was random YouTubers going viral by accusing students of being crisis actors. Even the Russian trolls who meddled in the presidential election did so by posting low-quality, highly emotional content to social media -- content they knew would go viral.

The problem with these social media sites isn’t that a few bad apples are ruining the fun. It’s that they’re designed to reward bad apples. And as long as con artists can use these platforms to prey on people’s most base desires, social media sites will continue reflecting the worst of human nature back at us.

Promoting engagement is a feature.  So are the partisan media bubbles.  The trolls, conspiracy theorists, and scam artists, along with the fake news they spread, are bugs — I hope.  Seeker explains how television entertainment can shape our political opinions mentioned one of the best ways to fight them — consume a variety of news media in order to get a diversity of viewpoints instead of staying inside a partisan media bubble.  Time for me to follow my own advice and read The Wall Street Journal, the only news source both liberals and conservatives think is unbiased.

Hot Mess explains how climate change makes hurricanes stronger

With Hurricane Florence in the news, flooding Virginia and the Carolinas and killing 37 people so far, it's time to revisit the topic of hurricanes and particularly Hurricane Harvey with Hot Mess asking Why Are Hurricanes Getting Stronger?

It’s impossible to say that climate change is responsible for any individual storm or hurricane, but climate change is making these storms stronger. How much stronger? It turns out, Hurricane Harvey is the ideal test case to measure how a warming planet and warming oceans, amplify our worst storms.

This is not a new observation.  Al Gore made it in "An Inconvenient Truth" when he explained that global warming would make hurricanes stronger.  In my worksheet for the movie, I ask my students to "explain how the 2004-2005 hurricane seasons fit with predictions based on global warming."  A decade later, reality continues to confirm those predictions.

I plan on returning to blogging about the Emmy winners tomorrow.  Stay tuned.

The Captain vs. The Kraken for Talk Like a Pirate Day

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!  I have just the drink from Tipsy Bartender for today, The Captain vs The Kraken.

Captain Morgan vs. Kraken!! Bombs away!

Of course, I have a song from The Pirates of the Caribbean movies to go along with this concoction, The Kraken.

The Kraken (Score)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

With a drink and a song, I'm done.  Once again, Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!

'Black Mirror: USS Callister' wins Outstanding Television Movie plus three other Emmy Awards

The Primetime Emmy Awards were last night, so it's time to start blogging about the winners, beginning with "Black Mirror: USS Callister," which won Outstanding Television Movie, an award I called.

I begin with the most nominated yet possibly the most distant from actual government, "USS Callister," an episode of the Netflix anthology series "Black Mirror."  Its Wikipedia entry sketches out the scenario for abuse well enough.  The bolding is mine, and shows how "USS Callister" fits the theme of abusive authority shared by all the Television Movie nominees.

The episode follows Robert Daly (Jesse Plemons), a reclusive but gifted programmer and co-founder of a popular massive multiplayer online game who is bitter over the lack of recognition of his position from his coworkers. He takes out his frustrations by simulating a Star Trek-like space adventure within the game, using his co-workers' DNA to create sentient digital clones of them. Acting as the captain of the USS Callister starship, Daly is able to order his co-workers around, submit them to his will, and mistreat them if they get out of line. When Daly brings newly hired Nanette Cole (Cristin Milioti) into his game, she encourages the other copies to revolt against Daly.

Yikes!  I would not want to play this game if it existed.  If the co-founder is willing to do this to his employees, imagine what he'd do to mere players!

I consider "USS Callister" to be the front runner based on its number of Emmy nominations, seven, and "Black Mirror" being what passes for a returning winner, as the episode "San Junipero" won this category last year.  In addition to Outstanding Television Movie, "USS Callister" earned nominations for Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or Movie, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for Jesse Plemons as Robert Daly, Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score), Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Limited Series or Movie, Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited Series, Movie or Special, and Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special.  Before I move on, I am reminding my readers that "San Junipero" only had two Emmy nominations, although it won both of them, the other being Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special.  "USS Callister" might be that much better.

Apparently, it is.  Not only was it nominated for eight awards, it won four of them, twice what "San Junipero" did.  It also had more of a political point than I gathered, as Charlie Brooker makes in Emmy winning producers and cast of "USS Callister (Black Mirror)" 2018 Creative Arts Emmys.


"It's quite odd actually that we're in the fiction category, because we're a story about a misogynist bully with a bizarre haircut who is put in a position of authority he shouldn't be in.  Never happen."  Zing!

Brooker talked about being in the room with stars from all six "Star Trek" series, who were there to accept the Governor's Award on behalf of the franchise, and how surreal the experience was.  He did so again in the next clip, 70th Emmy Awards: Backstage LIVE! with William Bridges and Charlie Brooker, in which he cleaned up his language a bit.


This was the award the show's writers won last night, one that I failed to mention in Crime and punishment a major theme of Limited Series nominees at the Emmy Awards for National Wildlife Day, concentrating on the limited series nominated in the category.  I didn't do that for any of the rest of its nominations.  Oops.  I probably should have called this one for "USS Callister," as "San Junipero" won this award last year.

Returning to last week's ceremony, here's the clip for the third award, Emmy winning sound editing team ("USS Callister (Black Mirror)") 2018 Creative Arts Emmys Press Room.


I would have had trouble calling this award, as "USS Callister" was competing against "American Horror Story: Cult," "Fahrenheit 451," "Godless," "Twin Peaks," and "Waco."  I would probably have gone with "Twin Peaks."  Just the same, this award went to a speculative fiction nominee, so I'm happy.

The final award was for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Limited Series or Movie, Emmy winner Selina MacArthur ("USS Callister (Black Mirror)") 2018 Creative Arts Emmys Press Room.


"USS Callister" was competing with three episodes of "The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story" and one of "Twin Peaks," and I might have gone with "Twin Peaks" again.  Good thing I didn't take the opportunity to be wrong.  Just the same, congratulations to the crew of the "USS Callister," both the actors and the actual film crew!

I'll return with more Emmy blogging after Talk like a Pirate Day.  Stay tuned.

Speculative fiction movie and television first-round nominees at the 2018 People's Choice Awards

I told my readers to "stay tuned for an entry about the People's Choice Awards nominees" to conclude Diversity and speculative fiction in dramas at the 2018 Primetime Emmy Awards.  Here are the categories that include speculative fiction first-round nominees for movies and television from Wikipedia along with my choices.

The Movie of 2018

Avengers: Infinity War
Black Panther
Deadpool 2
Fifty Shades Freed
Incredibles 2
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Ocean's 8
A Quiet Place
Ready Player One
Solo: A Star Wars Story
A Wrinkle in Time

It's easier to pick out the non-speculative fiction movies from this field than to list the speculative fiction ones — "Fifty Shades Freed," "Mission: Impossible – Fallout," and "Ocean's 8."  Even the last two are genre films nominated under action, which means I'm likely to see both on the Saturn Awards ballot next May.  This shows how strong speculative fiction movies are, at least for the first nine months of the year, before movies meant for the Oscars show up in theaters.  Speaking of which, I'm voting for the current box office leader, "Black Panther."  I also think it has a good chance of winning with its main competition being "Avengers: Infinity War."

There are no speculative fiction nominees for The Comedy Movie of 2018, but three stand out, "Book Club," "Crazy Rich Asians," and "Game Night."  That last might be nominated for Best Action Movie along with "Mission: Impossible – Fallout" and "Ocean's 8" at the Saturn Awards.  On the other hand, my favorite of the three is "Book Club," so I'm voting for it but I think "Crazy Rich Asians" will win.  Speaking of which, I plan on voting for Awkwafina for The Comedy Movie Star of 2018 even though I think Constance Wu or Tiffany Haddish will likely win.

The Action Movie of 2018

Ant-Man and the Wasp
Avengers: Infinity War
Black Panther
Deadpool 2
The Equalizer 2
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
The Meg
Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Ocean's 8
Rampage
Ready Player One
Solo: A Star Wars Story

Again, it's easier to pick out the non-speculative fiction movies from this field than to list the speculative fiction ones — "The Equalizer 2," "Mission: Impossible – Fallout" and "Ocean's 8."  The rest are superhero and science fiction movies, although I suspect "Rampage," a video game movie, might be classified as fantasy at next year's Saturn Awards.  Again, my choice for this award is the same as for The Movie of 2018, "Black Panther."

The Drama Movie of 2018

12 Strong
The 15:17 to Paris
Acrimony
Adrift
Annihilation
BlacKkKlansman
Breaking In
Fifty Shades Freed
The First Purge
Midnight Sun
A Quiet Place
Red Sparrow

Despite this being the most mainstream and "serious" of the categories, three of these movies are still speculative fiction, "Annihilation," "The First Purge," and "A Quiet Place," the latter two of which are horror movies and the first is a science fiction film that plays like a horror film.  My favorite is "A Quiet Place," so I'm voting for it.  I also plan on voting for it next year for Best Horror Film at the Saturn Awards.

The Family Movie of 2018

A.X.L.
A Wrinkle in Time
Christopher Robin
Early Man
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation
I Can Only Imagine
Incredibles 2
Paddington 2
Peter Rabbit
Sherlock Gnomes
Show Dogs
Teen Titans Go! To the Movies

Other than "I Can Only Imagine," all of these movies are speculative fiction, mostly fantasy or animation with the exception of the science fiction film "A.X.L."  Out of all of them, the box office leader and personal favorite is "Incredibles 2," which I think will repeat the accomplishments of "Coco" by winning every award for which it is nominated, including Best Animated Film at the Saturn Awards.  I'm voting for it now and I'll vote for it then.

The Drama Movie Star of 2018

Emily Blunt – A Quiet Place
Jamie Dornan – Fifty Shades Freed
Chris Hemsworth – 12 Strong
John Krasinski – A Quiet Place
Jennifer Lawrence – Red Sparrow
Ewan McGregor – Christopher Robin
Natalie Portman – Annihilation
Gina Rodriguez – Annihilation
John David Washington – BlacKkKlansman
Oprah Winfrey – A Wrinkle in Time
Reese Witherspoon – A Wrinkle in Time
Shailene Woodley – Adrift

Since my favorite "drama" film is "A Quiet Place," I'm voting for my favorite star from the move, which is Emily Blunt.  Sorry, John Krasinski, I liked your wife's performance better.

The Male Movie Star of 2018

Chadwick Boseman – Black Panther
John Boyega – Pacific Rim Uprising
Pierce Brosnan – Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
Tom Cruise – Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Robert Downey Jr. – Avengers: Infinity War
Chris Hemsworth – Avengers: Infinity War
Dwayne Johnson – Skyscraper
Michael B. Jordan – Black Panther
Chris Pratt – Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Ryan Reynolds – Deadpool 2
Nick Robinson – Love, Simon
Paul Rudd – Ant-Man and the Wasp

By the logic above that drove me to vote for Emily Blunt, I should vote for Chadwick Boseman.  I'm not.  He will probably still win, but I enjoyed Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool far more, so I'm voting for him.

The Female Movie Star of 2018

Emily Blunt – A Quiet Place
Sandra Bullock – Ocean's 8
Anne Hathaway – Ocean's 8
Bryce Dallas Howard – Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Lily James – Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
Scarlett Johansson – Avengers: Infinity War
Jennifer Lawrence – Red Sparrow
Evangeline Lilly – Ant-Man and the Wasp
Leslie Mann – Blockers
Melissa McCarthy – Life of the Party
Oprah Winfrey – A Wrinkle in Time
Reese Witherspoon – A Wrinkle in Time

Oprah Winfrey has the biggest name, Sandra Bullock and Jennifer Lawrence have both won Oscars, and Scarlett Johansson has the only nomination from the highest grossing movie with a nominee in this category, but I'm not voting for any of them.  Instead, its Emily Blunt.  I hope to see her on the list of nominees for Best Actress in a Film at next year's Saturn Awards, where she's the front runner for my vote so far.

The Action Movie Star of 2018

Chadwick Boseman – Black Panther
Tom Cruise – Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Donald Glover – Solo: A Star Wars Story
Danai Gurira – Black Panther
Chris Hemsworth – Avengers: Infinity War
Scarlett Johansson – Avengers: Infinity War
Dwayne Johnson – Rampage
Michael B. Jordan – Black Panther
Evangeline Lilly – Ant-Man and the Wasp
Chris Pratt – Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Ryan Reynolds – Deadpool 2
Alicia Vikander – Tomb Raider

I'm voting for Ryan Reynolds again here, although I think either Chadwick Boseman or Chris Hemsworth will win.

Follow over the jump for the television nominees.